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Kansas City Star Editorial: Trump Silence is “Disquieting”

The Kansas City Star has published a searing editorial taking #45 to task for his silence in last week’s shooting of three men in a bar and death of Srinivas Kuchibhotla. The editorial mentions that the silence is beginning “to verge on something more disquieting”. Authorities have not yet called the shooting a hate crime, instead saying they are investigating to see if it was motivated by bias. However, witnesses have reported that the shooter hurled racial slurs at the two Indian victims and told them: “Get out of my country.”

“Trump usually loves to celebrate all-American heroes. But he’s passed on commending Ian Grillot, a bystander who leapt to take the gunman down before anyone else was harmed. Grillot was shot, too.

Surely the White House team could have cobbled together a statement of some sort, a response to at least address growing fears that the U.S. is unwelcoming of immigrants, or worse, that the foreign-born need to fear for their lives here. The deadly incident in Olathe has resonated across the country and even around the globe.”

As Sandip Roy notes, Trump told the Republican Hindu Coalition last fall that if “elected president, the Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House.” Instead:

“That guarantee just came back, a bounced cheque. Trump showed no interest in even words of condolence and condemnation, even boilerplate concern that comes easily to politicians. Words are cheap. But silence can cost dearly. And Trump has chosen silence.”